Dubstep Recommendations February 2013

Review: As a long time favourite on his Soundcloud page, Deep Medi finally do the right thing by Tunnidge and release his club-wrecking stepper "Twenty12" in all its apocalyptic glory. The drums are king here, pounding heavy whilst sounding deft and limber at the same time. The doomsday melody ensures the vibe stays appropriate for the track title, and it would be hard to resist such imposing energy in front of a proper soundsystem. "Orion" heads further into synth explorations, laying the dystopian melodies on thick while keeping the bass pressure high, leaving it to "Take Flight" to cool things down with an approach that sounds like the ambient teaser before a devastating jungle drop that never comes.

Review: St Petersburg based producer Nocow has being developing his brand of ethereal, emotive bass music for several years, and the past 12 months have seen his profile rise further with releases for Fauxpas Musik and Infinite Machine. Like those releases, there's an overwhelming melancholy that pervades the intricate post-2 step beat work of these tracks; "Butwe" combines sonorous square wave synths and mournful vocals in a remarkably clean R&B style production, the gentle 2-step of "Yule" comes generously drenched Burial inspired crackle and moments of string led drama, while the 140pm urgency of "Homeward Rain" is given weight with its minor key progressions and choral undertones. On the flip it's a somewhat different story; "Won't" is imbued with a sense of optimism, "Nomore" delivers a tech-house burner with found sound accents and rhythmic swing and "Heather" saves the best for last with its rolling organic percussion and synth backdrop that cascades over them like a misty waterfall.

Review: Two Chestplate regulars, Sleeper and District collide once again and the result is just as devastating as their previous co-lab joints such as "Dungeon Style", "Terraformed" and "Angry Birds". In fact throw those three together and you still can't match the might of the techno-spiked bass chugger "The Risk". Sleeper goes solo on the B with the meatier, broodier "Dark Mutations". Half-step heroics a-go-go, it's an icy ride into the depth of pure industrial dubstep. Risky business.

Review: Two bros fresh from LA giving hip-hop acts a royal dubstep seeing too. Could life BE any better for 3 Stripes? We sincerely doubt it. Here we find them getting lively over a number of tried and test heaters. Wale's guitar-strumming "Bait" gets the most savage bass beasting with its stadium-splintering half-step naughtiness. B.O.B's "Bet I" comes a close second with the epic saw-tooth giving B.O.B's fast-swagger rhymes a little extra room to breath. With Saafir and Goodie Mob treats elsewhere on the release, this is the most comprehensive 3 Stripes release to date. Heavy.

Review: There's no messing with a name like Widowmaker is there? You know exactly what you're getting; mean, uncompromising darkness with a demonic message delivered in sparkling clarity. He's already preached his signature doom on Audio Doughnuts and Wheel & Deal, now he's fronting new label Kaium's debut release. "Abscess" is a more techno-influenced, rhythmic number that's driven by a bashy percussive arrangement and urgent stabs. "Cerebral", meanwhile, is more your classic croaky dubstep joint, but one that's spiked by Detroit style synth stabs. Like we said, there's no messing with this cat.